Tellurian



F. E. BRADLEY June 9, 1953 TELLURIAN Filed Aug. 29, 1951 4 Zhwentor FRANK E. BRADLEY Patented June 9, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a tellurian and has for its primary object to provide an improved device for demonstrating the causes of day and night and of the seasons of the year, while also demonstrating the eccentric orbit of the earth around the sun.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved and simple means for moving a globe to have rotation on its own axis and revolution around a point while describing an eccentric orbit around said point.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tellurian in which the axis of revolution is disposed at 23 and to freely suspend a globe, representative of the earth, from the end of an arm rotated on said axis so that the polar axis of said globe, at all times, is vertical.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation,

convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

\ In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

. Fig. 1 is a side elevations]. view of a tellurian according to the present invention, the same being shown in the position of the summer solstice.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan sectional view as taken on'line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, to an enlarged scale, of the globe suspending means shown at the left in Fig. 1.

I Fig. 5 is a similar view showing a splice to connect the separable sections of the arm from which the globe is suspended.

The present tellurian comprises generally a base Ill, a support bracket 1 I on said base, a fixed standard I2 carried by said bracket and disposed at an angle of 23 /2 to the vertical, an electric lamp I3 mounted on the upper end of said standard and simulating the sun, a bracket Hi rotatably mounted on said fixed standard, a hollow cantilever arm I5 fixedly carried by the bracket I 4 and having a free end I6 revolving around lamp I3, a drive wire or flexible rod I 1 extending through the hollow of arm I5, a drive I8 to axially rotate said wire or rod, a globe I9 freely suspended from the end of said Wire or rod that extends from end It of arm I5, and a drive for rotating bracket I4 around the axis of standard I The base Ill may comprise a board or the top of atable and the same is of a size to impart stability to the present device.

Bracket II comprises a metal strap removably aiilxed to base Ill, as by bolts and wing nuts 2I, and the same is provided with a support portion 22 disposed at an angle of 23 to the horizontal.

Standard I2 comprises a tube 23 affixed to bracket portion 22 as by a flange 24 and the same, being normal to said portion, is disposed at an angle of 23 1 to the vertical.

A suitable fitting socket 25 is mounted on the upper end of tube 23 and the same is receptive of lamp I3. Electric wiring 26 extends up through tube 23 and connects to said socket to conduct current to the lamp.

Bracket I4 is generally U-shaped having a base portion 2'! and leg portions 28 and 29, the standard extending through suitable aligned holes in said leg portions, whereby said bracket is free to swing or rotate around the axis of the standard.

Cantilever arm I5 is shown as a tube or pipe having a cantilever portion 30, an end 3| bent at an angle to portion 3!] and extending through bracket leg 28 adjacent to base portion 21 of bracket l4, and an end I6 at the opposite outboard end of arm I5. A pair of clamp bearings 32, or similar means, is provided to affix pipe end 3I to bracket I4 to obviate relative movement of said bracket I4 and said pipe end 3|. Outboard end It is provided with a terminal bell fitting 33 shown in detail in Fig. 4 and allowing wire or rod ll to exit smoothly from the hollow of arm I5.

Arm I5 is shown as sectional for the purpose of more compact storage of the device when not in use. To this end, a half lap joint 34 is provided intermediate the length of portion and a splicing fitting 35 is provided for clamping said joint or, when slipped away, allowing separation at the joint, as the case may be.

Rod or wire I! extends from arm end SI and is fastened to a coupling 36 to which is also fastened a stud 3'! extending from a sprocket pinion 3%, the latter being part of drive I8. Suitable bearings 39 hold stud t! in alignment with cou-.

pling 36, said bearings being aifixed to bracket 3 base 21. It will be clear, therefore, that rotation of sprocket pinion 38 rotates wire 11 and the end Ila of said wire where the same exits from bell 33.

Drive 18 comprises pinion 38, a sprocket gear 40 affixed to standard 12 in line therewith, and a chain 4| trained around said pinion and gear. Since gear M] is fixed, rotation of bracket 14 around the axis of the standard results in the chain 4! imparting rotation to pinion 38, and wire ll, therefore, rotates within arm 15 as said arm is swung by bracket l4.

Globe I9, representative of the earth, by means of a pendulum 62, is connected to wire end Ila, as by a coupling 43, the latter affording a separable connection enabling removal of the globe on disassembly of the device.

By manually turning bracket 14' around standard 12, as by a handle 44 that may be provided, the movements of globe l9 relative to lamp 13 may be accomplished by the means above described.

Drive is provided to effect power operation obviating the need for handle 44 which, therefore, may be removed from brackets 45 that connect it to bracket 14. Drive 211 comprises an electric motor 35 having a speed reducing unit 41, on the output shaft 48 of Which is affixed a sprocket pinion ts, A separable support bracket 50, removably secured to base 10 by bolts and wing nuts 51 and located alongside of bracket ll, mounts said motor and speed reducer. A sprocket gear 52 is loosely mounted on standard 12 but affixed to bracket 14. A collar on said standard is provided to support gear 52. A drive chain 53 connects pinion 49 and gear 52 and it will be clear that bracket I4 is slowly rotated around standard I2 by the drive 20.

The above-described mechanism rotates globe !9 on its polar axis, revolves the same around lamp !3 in an eccentric orbit, and maintains a 23 inclination to lamp I3 because of its pendent support.

Thus, for educational and other purposes, the present device demonstrates the various motions of th earth and its relationship to the sun.

While the invention that has been illustrated and described is now regarded as the preferred embodiment, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A tellurian comprising a fixed standard disposed at an angle of 23 to the vertical and mounting a sun-simulating lamp, a bracket mounted on the standard for rotation around the axis of said standard, a hollow cantilever arm aflixed to the bracket and having a free end movable with the bracket around said lamp, a flexible rod extending through the hollow of and beyond the ends of said cantilever arm, a pendulous earth-simulating globe attached to the end of said rod that extends from the free end of the arm, drive means connected to the other extending end of the rod to rotate the same and the globe, and drive means to move said latter end of the rod in a circular path around the lamp while the globe, due to its pendulous attachment, moves in a circular path eccentric to the path of the rod end.

2. A tellurian comprising a fixed standard disposed at an angle of 23 to the vertical and mounting a sun-simulating lamp, a bracket mounted on the standard for rotation around the axis of said standard, a hollow cantilever arm afiixed to the bracket and having a free end movable with the bracket around said lamp, a flexible rod extending through the hollow of and beyond the ends of said cantilever arm, a pendulous earth-simulating globe attached to the end of said rod that extends from the free end of the arm, drive means connected to the other extending end of the rod to rotate the same and the globe, said drive means comprising a sprocket gear afiixed to the standard, a sprocket pinion connected to said other extending end of the rod, and a chain interconnecting said gear and pinion, and drive means to move said latter end of the rod in a circular path around the lamp while the globe, due to its pendulous attachment, moves in a circular path eccentric to the path of the rod end.

3. A tellurian according to claim 1: said cantilever arm comprising separable and lapped interfitting pipe sections, and a splicing fitting fixedly connecting said sections.

4. A tellurian comprising a fixed standard disposed at an angle of 23 /2 to the vertical and mounting a sun-simulating lamp, a bracket mounted on the standard for rotation around the axis of said standard, a hollow cantilever arm afiixed to the bracket and having a free end movable with the bracket around said lamp, a flexible rod extending through the hollow of and beyond the ends of said cantilever arm, a pendulous earth-simulating globe attached to the end of said rod that extends from the free end of the arm, drive means connected to the other extending end of the rod to rotate the same and the globe, and a power drive for rotating the mentioned bracket around the axis of the standard to move said latter end of the rod in a circular path around the lamp while the globe, due to its pendulous attachment, moves in a circular path eccentric to the path of the rod end.

5. A tellurian comprising, in combination, a. standard disposed with its axis at an angle of 23 A; to the vertical and mounting a sun-simulating lamp, an arm extending transversely to said axis and movable around said axis with the free end of said arm describing a circular path concentric with the lamp, and a pendulum extending from said free end of the arm and having a planet-simulating globe on the end thereof, said pendulum, at all times, hanging pendent whereby the circular path of the globe thereon around the lamp is eccentric to said lamp.

6. A tellurian according to claim 5: said am being hollow, a wire extending through the hollow of the arm and having one end thereof connected to said pendulum, and means connected to the other end of said wire to rotate the same and thereby revolve the pendulum and the globe thereon while the arm is rotating around the axis of the standard.

FRANK E. BRADLEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

